Travel Blog

The idea of starting a travel blog came upon me back in the start of the year. Being deeply interested in traveling and writing, travel writing sounded like a fitting composition.

Every trip has its memorable moments and small little details, which I feel cannot be wholly represented by images alone. For example, a picturesque photo taken at the Giza pyramids may stir up the longing to be back but it doesn't spell out details like how much I got cheated or put off by the touts; these little things are equally important to me and I don't want to forget them.

Hence, since I'm never the guy who can capture pictures that speak a thousand words, I write a thousand words to describe and preserve both the happy and unhappy moments that complement the memories.

Now when I travel, I'd sometimes look at a particular object or an area and think whether it's something that I can write about. The whole thinking process can be very pressurising at times but I don't want to risk going back and painstakingly typing out a paragraph only to realise that I don't have a fitting picture to sit on top of it.

www.theworldfascinates.wordpress.com - Your divided attention between here and there is very much wanted and appreciated!

Hero

An english number for a change!

11.11

Whenever I coincidentally switch on my phone to a clock displaying 11.11am/pm, I'd secretly make a wish because according to the myth, it usually comes true. It's just one of the many superstitions I've had since a long time ago.

And tonight, I wished for a more favourable and promising future and good health to my family and friends.

Back on the road

As I'm typing this entry, in the holding room waiting for the boarding call to be made, the feeling of excitement is growing stronger. Today marks another milestone in my travel tales: my second solo trip. This time round I'll be able to cross out one country in my list of major destinations to visit - Egypt!

This is also my longest trip yet: 4 days in Hanoi and 14 days in Cairo means that I'll be experiencing life on two continents in the next 18 days. And with the possibility of not only witnessing the majestic desert, but also spending a night amid the magnificent sand dunes, this could well be my most adventurous jaunt for the coming years.

It won't be soon Before long

One of my must-watch movies this year, 'Before Midnight' will be screening here on the 25th of July! I believe, on many occasions, I've gone into raptures over the two "Before..." prequels - 'Before Sunrise' and 'Before Sunset' - whenever there was a discussion over movies. But I'm really not exaggerating: these two movies are easily my top two favorites of all time. And with the overwhelming positive reviews and comments surrounding this second sequel, I think it wouldn't be too early for me to make a claim that this trilogy would top the lot.

Even the release date is just three days before my birthday. I guess this coincidence makes up for the long long wait. 

25th birthday celebration - outing to the theatres!?

Hahahahaha

#2

#1

#THANKYOUSIRALEX

This news came at the wrong time! I'm so distraught. I can't focus. Can't focus!

Thank you for all the nail biting, tear jerking and glorious moments.

99' and Moscow - Unforgettable!

Glory Glory Man Utd.

Musical Caffeine

I've been putting classical and instrumental tunes on repeat for the past few days, and they have been of such great company! Definitely helped me with my concentration.

This is one of the few YouTube experiences where I will not get put off by the seemingly endless duration of the video. It only takes two to three pages of writing and reading and before I know it, the music has stopped. An hour has passed.

Not very encouraging to know that within an hour, I could only cover that much.

4 more days to go. All the best everyone!

It's time once again to bring out that brown (study) table and lay out all my books!

I want to stubbornly believe that this revision is going to be less tough than the previous round, what with the shortage of one module. Fingers crossed that when I start on the two heavy weights this week, that faint belief will not yield.

Let the next one month of hermitage go past smoothly. I can't wait to get back out.

Choice

"So what do you plan to do next time?" is probably one of the questions asked, mostly during small talks or first encounters, that is very likely to elicit a strong reaction from the receiver of either a socially acceptable answer or one that is frowned upon.

Whichever response you give speaks volume because it is going to reveal 1) what kind of person you are, and 2) how promising/bleak is your future. Tell them you want to be a typical PME and work in a well-known firm and they will welcome you to the "club". Tell them you want to be anything else other than a spoiled product of society and they will reply with a phony "Oh, that's cool", which signals that they have one less person to compete with for the title of Mr/Mrs successful.

Then it's judgment day: they will embark on a presumptuous foray and form an impression of you. And all of a sudden, they will become curious and interested about your choice of future, eagerly waiting to fire all cylinders on why it is the wrong choice.

"Why do you want to be a/an -insert low paying job with poor prospects-? Do they pay a lot?"

Almost every time, I struggle to answer that question. Mainly because I'm overwhelmed and baffled by such narrow-minded and bigoted line of thought of these conformists whose life is shrouded by materialism, and everything must be about raking in the hundreds and thousands.

But whenever such exchanges happen, I will retreat into myself and initiate the whole thinking process: should we all go where the money goes? Work is going to take up a huge part of our lives. Should it just be a means to an end?

It's extremely frightening to wake up every morning and dread going to work because you hate your job. That's why I've always been a strong believer of doing the things I really love; however, this belief, admittedly, is wavering. It seems that the things I like to do aren't "lucrative" enough to provide sustainability in this helter-skelter society. To paraphrase what a friend of mine told me, we are encouraged to do the things we love. But we must also realize that there's a limit to it because the truth is, we're not living only for ourselves.

One moment, it feels like the path has been laid out. The next, it leads to a dead end. Society is a crazy breed; it is planting toxins in us throughout the course of our servitude; it is reminding us over and over again - Is it really about doing the things we love, or learning to love the things we do?

Welcome

 

Candy was in town over the weekend and the 7 of us managed to get together for an awesome brunch at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant at Takashimaya!

Us at Quan An Ngon Restaurant, Hanoi (2012)

Brief encounters; walking around under the hot climate; indulge in moderation. Everything in moderation.